Bridal Wreath Falls, AZ

I keep saying I need to explore more of the Rincons but I never make a solid plan to do so. This past Monday I decided I'd hike to Bridal Wreath Falls in the Rincon Mountains. I'd seen recent photos and video showing the falls with a lot of water, a rarity here in the desert! We've had a pretty wet winter so the washes and creeks have been full of water. I set off from the Douglas Spring Trailhead to find out for myself.

The hike starts surrounded by saguaros. This is technical part of the Saguaro National Park boundary. Many of the trails from the Douglas Spring Trailhead take you further into the Park if you are looking for a good desert hike. Soon I was hiking up and up and up, out of the saguaros and into the high desert landscape full of shrubs and grasses. 

When I finally made it to the falls I was a little disappointed there wasn't more water. It wasn't nearly as full as I had seen it in pictures the week before. Regardless you have to be thankful for any kind of water in the desert! I stayed for a little snack, denied the very friendly squirrel my cliff bar, said hi to some fellow hikers and was headed back down the trail. 

Rather than take the Douglas Spring Trail back to the trailhead I decided to meander a bit and take the Three Tank Trail. At the top of the ridge on this particular trail was a beautiful view of Tucson. 

After coming up over the ridge the trail goes back down, past the actual water tank, past a wash, past smaller canyons with water at the bottom, down some switchbacks, and back into the land of the saguaros via the Wildhorse Trail. 

This was just a small taste of what the Rincon Mountains have for me. Sometime this year I'd like to finally get to Manning Camp and check off Mica Mountain and Rincon Peak from my list.

Bridal Wreath Falls via Douglas Spring, Three Tank, & Wildhorse Trails

Date hiked: January 28, 2019

Total miles: 7.3 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,178 feet

Total time: 3.75 hours

Land Acknowledgement: Ancestral lands of the Tohono O'odham and Yaqui

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